West Of England Partnership Proposes 9 Guided Bus Routes

[whole diary]

[Lee]

The Bristol to Bath cycle path has been highlighted as one of the South West's top 10 urban green spaces (link below.)
http://thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145365&command=displayContent&sourceNode=145191&contentPK=20085276&folderPk=83726&pNodeId=144922

The BRT^▸ (Bus Rapid Transit) plans are set to go to public consultation later this year and the Planting Places award is likely to add further impetus to campaigners' bid to have the path preserved.

[Lee]

Campaigners will meet outside the Council House to urge councillors to save the Cycle Path on Tues 1 April 2008 from 6 pm.

The Save The Railway Path group are organising a Path event/bike ride on Sunday 30th March 2008 (link below.)
http://www.railwaypath.org/node/4

[Lee]

The Save The Railway Path group are organising a Path event/bike ride on Sunday 30th March 2008 (link below.)
http://www.railwaypath.org/node/4

A huge turnout is expected (link below.)
http://thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145365&command=displayContent&sourceNode=145191&contentPK=20227766&folderPk=83726&pNodeId=144922

[Lee]

Plans to build a guided bus line along the Bristol to Bath cyclepath have been shelved (link below.)
http://www.thisisbristol.com/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=144913&command=displayContent&sourceNode=231190&home=yes&more_nodeId1=144922&contentPK=20265076

The city council's transport executive, councillor Mark Bradshaw, has told the Evening Post that the plans have been shelved because they were so unpopular with cyclists and walkers.

Instead, the West of England Partnership plans to press ahead with a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT^▸ (Bus Rapid Transit)) scheme from the city centre to Long Ashton.

A bid for the ^35 million plan will be submitted to the Department for Transport in the autumn, with completion due by 2012.

It would carry passengers from Bristol Temple Meads and through the city either along Temple Way or down Victoria Street and the Counterslip.

Options through the city centre would involve building a new Prince Street bridge before travelling to the Cumberland Basin either along the railway lines to the ss Great Britain or around the back along Cumberland Road.

The partnership also plans to submit a further funding application for a BRT route to Hengrove in 2009, with work on that project due to be complete by 2013.

Path event/bike ride will go ahead as planned.

[Lee]

Report on the Path event/bike ride plus related links.
http://www.rmtbristol.org.uk/2008/03/1st_annual_celebration_of_bris.html#more

http://www.rmtbristol.org.uk/2008/03/bus_lane_scheme_hits_the_buffe.html

http://thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=144913&command=displayContent&sourceNode=231190&home=yes&more_nodeId1=144922&contentPK=20276719

[Lee]

Campaigners were left disappointed last night after the city council failed to confirm that it was against plans to turn part of a popular cycle path into a bus route (link below.)
http://thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=144913&command=displayContent&sourceNode=231190&home=yes&more_nodeId1=144922&contentPK=20294819

Last week the executive councillor for transport, Mark Bradshaw, said the plans for a rapid transport link along the Bristol to Bath cycle route had been shelved because a link to Emersons Green needed more work.

Green councillor Charlie Bolton put forward a motion - amended by the Liberal Democrats with his agreement - that would have seen the end of the cycle route as one of the options for the bus rapid transit (BRT^▸ (Bus Rapid Transit)) route.

But the Conservatives backed a Labour amendment that changed the wording of the motion so it was ambiguous, leaving the door open for a BRT route alongside the cycle path.

[zed]

So, to be clear, is the original route plan for the Bath section of the BRT^▸ (Bus Rapid Transit) still going ahead?

[Chris from Nailsea]

Hi, zed, and welcome to the Coffee Shop!

I think that's the problem, really: it's still not clear what has been rejected, and what (if anything) may still happen?

Chris 

[Lee]

So, to be clear, is the original route plan for the Bath section of the BRT^▸ (Bus Rapid Transit) still going ahead?

We are keeping an close eye on that one in the link below.
http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=743.msg2759#msg2759

[zed]

Hi, zed, and welcome to the Coffee Shop!

I think that's the problem, really: it's still not clear what has been rejected, and what (if anything) may still happen?

Chris 

thanks   (is it okay to drink Tea instead?!)
i'll keep investigating and report if it's relevant

[Chris from Nailsea]

zed, tea is fine, too: in fact, you should compare notes with Lee - he's a tea fan, while I'm a coffee addict!

Please do let us know anything you find out, and add it to the topic Lee mentioned!

Chris 

[Lee]

Do more battles loom ahead over plans for a Bus Rapid Transit route from Bristol Temple Meads to Ashton Vale, possibly running over a former railway line & bridge, cyclepath, and maybe even the Bristol Harbour Railway? (link below.)
http://thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145365&command=displayContent&sourceNode=145191&contentPK=20728382&folderPk=83726&pNodeId=144922

[eightf48544]

It seems to me that "someone" has got the ear of "someone" in the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) and is plugging guided busways as a "solution"

What we need to do is is get concerted action from all areas affected saying no guided busways. We should make no attempt to amend individual schemes as otherwise "they" will pick of the opposing groups one by one. Just say "no" to all such proposals.

Saw the start of the guided busway in Edinburgh, not sure how long it is. Seems to used by one route 22 but they still run down Princes street unguided in the traffic with there little guide wheels under the front cab. Still at least Edinburgh has started work on its trams.

Trams yes guided buses no.

Trams are the finest traffic calming measure out, do you want to get in the way of 40 metre long guided missle in the middle of the road travelling at 30 mph? Having been in a tram in Rostock which hit a car which foolishly tried to cut in front, it was definitely Tram 1 Car 0. Most of the pasengers in the tram didn't realisi why we'ed stopped until the driver said "Auf Eisteigen"

The other problem with reusing old railway lines is where Sustrans has got hold of them and they seem to have right to keep the footpath open for ever. Whilst I agree Bristol to Bath on the old Midland line is a great walk it would be much better as a tram route.

We are going to have to go for trams and electrification of heavy rail  because diesel buses and railcars will soon be too expensive to run.

We have 200 years worth of coal under these islands and with clean coal technology and CO2 capture we could generate all the electricity we want. So it would cost a few billion in research but it's cheaper than the fighting wars and renewing Trident.

[Lee]

Plans for BRT^▸ (Bus Rapid Transit) along part of the Bristol to Bath cyclepath have been dealt a fatal blow (link below.)
http://thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145365&command=displayContent&sourceNode=145191&contentPK=20765914&folderPk=83726&pNodeId=144922

On the day a delegation from Bristol headed to Birmingham to lobby for cycling city status and ^20 million in investment, the councillor in charge of transport, Mark Bradshaw, decided to oppose any plans for a high-speed bus route along the cyclepath.

The move comes after cabinet member Mr Bradshaw visited Cambridge, which is currently installing a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system similar to that proposed for the Bristol area.

He said that, after seeing the size of the lanes and the gantries needed for the dedicated bus route, he visited the Bristol cyclepath for another look.

Now he says he can fully appreciate the scale of what is involved and feels a bus route along the cyclepath would be entirely inappropriate.

Campaigners, of whom 10,000 signed a petition to save the path, and transport charity Sustrans both welcomed the news.

They called for extra protection to be given to the path to protect it against development for future generations.

Mr Bradshaw said his views on the proposed BRT from Emersons Green to the city centre did not conflict with his support of plans to construct one from Temple Meads to Long Ashton.

After public consultation this summer, a funding application is due to be submitted to the city council this autumn for the ^35 million project, which could be up and running by 2012.

And he said lessons had been learned from the cyclepath episode, with regards to public consultation for other BRT routes.

[Monmouth]

The one thing about all three of the WoEP proposals is that they target already thriving, traffic free cycle and walking routes, and they want to turn them over to buses at a time when government is trying to encourage more people to walk and cycle!

its totally short sighted and yet another example of the un-joined up thinking that plagues this country at political levels.